Today in Texas History: Jane Long sees husband for last time

On this date in 1821, Jane Long, “Mother of Texas,” said goodbye to her husband, James Long, as he left his pregnant wife and young daughter in Bolivar Peninsula to help overthrow the Mexican government. Jane is known to be among the first generation of Anglo settlers in Texas.

That year, Jane endured a harsh winter at a fort, waiting for her husband’s return, even as food and settlers dwindled. She gave birth to her third daughter that December in an ice-covered tent. The following summer, Jane learned that James was captured and killed months earlier in Mexico City.

Compelled to make her own living, Jane ran an inn in Brazoria, where leaders of the Texas Revolution often gathered to discuss politics. Several years later, she developed a land grant near Richmond with the help of slaves and used the profits to buy another inn. By 1961, Jane owned more than 2,000 acres, where she raised cattle and grew cotton. She was a devoted Confederate supporter, refusing Northern-made products and wearing clothes made from the cotton at her own farm. Jane attracted many notable admirers, including Stephen Austin, Sam Houston and Mirabeau Lamar, but declined them all.

She died in 1880 at age 82 and is buried in Richmond. Her gravestone reads, “Mrs. Jane H. Long, The Mother of Texas.”